I was recently listening to public radio show Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me! while waiting for my bus when author Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame came on as a guest. I became intrigued enough to downloaded her second book to my iPhone 6 Plus then and there, and powered through the first two chapters during my commute.

But I didn’t buy the book from Apple, Amazon, or Google. Instead, I borrowed it from my public library.

Yes, you can do that now. Public libraries, centuries-long suppliers of physical books on loan, have in recent years also started lending out digital books for their patrons to read on their computers and mobile devices. Borrowed e-books have a limited lifespan, like when you rent a movie from iTunes. When the loan expires, the e-book becomes inaccessible, no trudging to your local branch and of course no late fees.

Apple’s been on a bit of an acquisition kick over the last couple years, and it seems to be continuing apace. This week, the company has confirmed the acquisition of two separate firms, both of which may help improve the company’s algorithms for recommending content.

The case in question is one of three cases over the matter of pricing for ebooks. The first was brought in federal court by the Department of Justice, where a judge ruled in July 2013 that the company had unfairly worked with publishers to set prices. Among the terms of that deal was a court-appointed independent monitor, who Apple tried and failed to remove earlier this year, and restrictions on the deals Apple can make with publishers over the next several years. Apple, however, appealed the case in October of last year. A class action, related to these cases, was also being pursued in 18 additional states.

Apple’s been on a bit of an acquisition kick over the last couple years, and it seems to be continuing apace. This week, the company has confirmed the acquisition of two separate firms, both of which may help improve the company’s algorithms for recommending content.

The case in question is one of three cases over the matter of pricing for ebooks. The first was brought in federal court by the Department of Justice, where a judge ruled in July 2013 that the company had unfairly worked with publishers to set prices. Among the terms of that deal was a court-appointed independent monitor, who Apple tried and failed to remove earlier this year, and restrictions on the deals Apple can make with publishers over the next several years. Apple, however, appealed the case in October of last year. A class action, related to these cases, was also being pursued in 18 additional states.